Rail passengers on the Newcastle to Carlisle line face weeks of disruption after a fallen tree landed on the tracks causing a landslide.

The Tyne Valley line, which runs from Newcastle to Carlisle, will be closed for several weeks between Hexham and Prudhoe after torrential rain and flooding caused the landslip in Farnley, Corbridge.

Rail replacement buses will run between Hexham and Prudhoe linking the service and it is expected the line will be closed until January 31 for repairs.

This weekend the route will be closed between Newcastle and Hexham for planned repairs, and rail replacement buses will be in place - and passengers have been advised travel will take at least an extra 20 minutes.

Landslide at Farnley, Corbridge causing weeks of disruption on Northern Rail while the damage is repaired (Image: Northern Rail)

The line closed on Thursday morning - soon after a 120-tonne landslip blocking the line had been cleared.

Flooding in Haydon Bridge, near Hexham in Northumberland, caused the first landslip on the route on December 30, and Network Rail was forced to cancel trains while engineers carried out repairs.

Trains between Carlisle and Newcastle and between Nunthorpe and Hexham will be disrupted by the closure.

Following heavy flooding at Corbridge buses cannot access the station and passengers must use bus stops at the top of Station Road, on the B6321.

For the latest information on disruption or changes to train services, passengers are advised to check with their train operator or National Rail Enquiries.